HARRISON, NJ – Decision Day at Red Bull Arena featured two teams going in opposite directions. For the Columbus Crew, head coach Wilfred Nancy has his team flying on all cylinders. With second place in the standings all but sewn up, the only thing left on their list is another victory in the win column on their way to another deep championship run.
Meanwhile, the Red Bulls have stumbled into the playoffs, struggling to get in the groove despite their 4-1 victory in Toronto before losing in Atlanta. Coach Schwartz clarified that he wanted his side to finish strong before the MLS Cup Playoffs begin next week.
Columbus got on the scoreboard relatively quickly, just two minutes into the match. Juan ‘Cucho’ Hernandez delivered the ball to the middle of the box, and Aziel Jackson headed it in, putting the visitors in front.
The lackluster start by the Red Bulls would rear its ugly head in the 14th minute. Aziel Jackson would be involved with an assist this time, as he hooked up with Evgen Cheberko to double the advantage.
Red Bulls tried to respond in the 30th minute when Emil Forsberg spotted Lewis Morgan and charged into the right side of the box, but Crew goalkeeper Nicholas Hagen was there with the easy save, making the effort moot.
Ronald Donkor, playing out of position due to Kyle Duncan being out for the season due to an injury, chased it down but quickly turned it over. But Marcelo Herrera got to the loose ball but shanked it wide to his left, drawing a sigh of relief from the home supporters.
As the whistle blew at the end of the first half, the frustrated supporters booed the Red Bulls off the pitch, with some verbally chanting to “sell the team.” And the way things were going, not a single person would blame them.
Red Bulls thought they earned a penalty in the 55th minute when Cameron Harper and Hagen slammed into each other in the box, but after further review from VAR, there was no foul on the play.
Emil Forsberg showed some grit and started a break after taking a pass from Lewis Morgan in the 61st minute. However, his shot slammed off the post, adding another episode to a frustrating evening for the home side.
Morgan dribbled to the sideline and got the pass over to Elias Manoel, who quickly turned around, but his shot harmlessly sailed over the bar. But the Red Bulls got one back one minute later as Lewis Morgan once again hooked up with Emil Forsberg and launched a shot from that nestled into the top left corner, bringing a little hope to a dreary evening.
With the Red Bulls sensing a much-needed draw, they pushed for it and were rewarded for their efforts as Elias Manoel was fouled in the penalty area by Rudy Camacho. Emil Forsberg cooly converted the penalty shot less than a minute later.
But the Red Bulls were chasing the game, which cost them dearly as Malte Amundsen scored a heartbreaker of a goal seven minutes into stoppage time—silencing the crowd in the process, sweeping the season series, and setting up a first-round match-up with Columbus in the MLS Cup Playoffs.
Scoring Summary:
2′ – Columbus Crew SC – Aziel Jackson, assisted by Juan Hernández
14′ – Columbus Crew SC – Evgen Cheberko, assisted by Aziel Jackson
78′ – New York Red Bulls – Emil Forsberg, assisted by Lewis Morgan
87′ – New York Red Bulls – Emil Forsberg, converted penalty kick
90+7′ – Columbus Crew SC – Malte Amundsen, assisted by Dylan Chambost
Disciplinary Summary:
35′ – Columbus Crew SC – Derrick Jones – Yellow Card
45+2′ – Columbus Crew SC – Max Arfsten – Yellow Card
47′ – Columbus Crew SC – Malte Amundsen – Yellow Card
89′ – New York Red Bulls – Serge Ngoma – Yellow Card
Starting XI:
Columbus Crew SC: Nicholas Hagen, Malte Admundsen, Rudy Camacho, Evgen Cheberko (14′), Max Arfsten, Derrick Jones (Jacen Russell-Rowe 46′), Alexandru Matan (Sean Zawadzki 73′), Marcelo Herrera, Aziel Jackson (2′)(Christian Ramirez 62′), Dylan Chambost, Juan Hernández (Diego Rossi 63′)
New York Red Bulls: Carlos Coronel, Ronald Donkor, Andres Reyes (Aidan O’Connor 88′), Sean Nealis, John Tolkin, Peter Stroud (Cameron Harper 46′), Daniel Edelman (Wikelman Carmona 80′), Felipe Carballo (Serge Ngoma 68′), Emil Forsberg, Dante Vanzeir (Elias Manoel 68′), Lewis Morgan
Final Thoughts:
If the supporters have to deal with a familiar yet annoying thing this season, the team cannot start a match strong and finish strong. When you deal with a team like the Columbus Crew, any mistake will punish you severely, no matter how small. This was the lesson this young team had to take to the drawing board again. The good news is that the playoffs will give the Red Bulls yet another chance for redemption and perhaps to write their script so that they can adapt and overcome.